[1] According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to Joshua, with additions by the high priests Eleazar and Phinehas,[2][3] but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to 2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BC.

[7] Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B;

[14] A treaty, or 'covenant' (Hebrew: berit, the same word used for God's covenant with Israel, Exodus 24:7), was a 'universal mean of establishing relationships among peoples in the ancient Near East' (cf.

[14] The Gibeonites acknowledge of Israel's successes since Egypt to the victories in Transjordan (verses 9–10), so they seek an inferior status (to be "vassal") as the price of survival.

[14] The Gibeonites was assigned to servitude at the 'place that YHWH should choose', that is, the main worship sanctuary of Israel (Deuteronomy 12:5, 14), which may refer to Shiloh (Jeremiah 7:12), a central sanctuary for Israel before Jerusalem (1 Samuel 1–3) or to city of Gibeon, as the great 'high place' at which Solomon would worship before building the temple (1 Kings 3:4), where the tent of meeting was established after Shiloh (2 Chronicles 1:3).